Devices Site

Here you are another quite interesting ranking from BNC Japan, this time they focused their attention on TVs, and it seems that in 2008, our Japanese friends loved Small (32”) TVs and preferably from Sharp… If I cannot personally agree on the size of the TV, I, in the other hand quite agree with our Japanese friends when it comes to the Brand, and I am proud to own a Sharp AQUOS LCD TV. (Read the full post about ‘Small Sharp Aquos TVs are the Best Seller in Japan, TV Ranking 2008′…)

Want to find a way to encourage your child to start the saving habit? Of course, there is no better way to teach the little ones than by your example, but just in case you want to augment your thrifty lifestyle, here is the Discovery Robot In My Room that could go some ways in helping. This smart-aleck talking robot comes equipped with a motion detector and a twisted sense of humor, belting out something funny each time a coin is deposited. It has a repository of over 50 humorous responses, phrases and sound effects, featuring an LCD display that shows off your total coins and a built-in alarm clock. The Discovery Robot In My Room will retail for $39.95. It does look rather strange being headless though. (Read the full post about ‘Discovery Robot In My Room’…)

With rumors running rampant about Steve Jobs’ health over the last few months, including that he was either dead or at death’s door, and with the announcement that he was not going to be giving Apple’s last keynote address at MacWorld, the Cupertino Guru decided it was time to quell the scuttlebutt and explain his health condition which prompted his recent rapid weight loss. According to Jobs, a strange hormonal imbalance has cause his Holocaust survivor like appearance and his decision to pull out of the MacWorld keynote was more to spend the holidays with his family rather than preparing for the last great Apple Keynote (you may remember Apple announcing they will not longer participate in MacWorld Expo after 2009). (Read the full post about ‘Steve Jobs explains his health, invents new diet plan’…)

Schwinn makes its first appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show this year to show off its Tailwind bicycle, which uses new battery technology from Toshiba to enable faster charging and extended battery longevity. The Schwinn Tailwind can be recharged in 30 minutes as opposed to the four hours required by other so-called eBikes, which use an electric motor to assist the peddler when the going gets tough. In addition, Schwinn says, the Tailwind’s battery’s overall lifetime is twice that of the competition, with 2,000 recharge cycles. "With the system turned off, the bike functions exactly like a traditional bike," reads a note on the Tailwind site. (Read the full post about ‘Schwinn to Demonstrate Quickcharging Electric Bicycle at CES’…)

Sadly, it has been over a decade since I have been skiing, but I can tell you that nothing wears you out more than a day on the slopes. Your legs will get a great workout, and this is just one reason why you should have a SKIGYM. The other reason is that it is probably one of the best virtual skiing simulators that I have seen. The SKIGYM was developed from Pro-Idee in Germany with some help from sports specialists, ski instructors, and physical therapists. The balancing-control technology is similar to that of the WiiFit, but this SKIGYM isn’t available for a gaming console, but for the PC. The software includes Alpine Ski Racing 2007, which has 32 different ski slopes including 18 real life ones like Lake Louise, Beaver Lake, and Chamonix. (Read the full post about ‘SKIGYM allows for skiing at home’…)

We are a bit late announcing the winner of the last year’s final coolest gadget competition so without further ado it is the iMu Vibrating Speaker: Turn anything into a sound system. The iMu vibrating speaker will transform any flat, hard surface into a top notch audio speaker.You can listen to your beats from things like tops of household appliances, cupboards and even car bonnets. It works thanks to a unique US Navy-developed composite called Terfenol-D. Congrats again to Gaj-It. In second place we have the Anti-Grav R/C Wall Racing Car. Can an R/C car really impress nowadays? Yes, it definitely can. The Anti-Grav R/C Wall Racing Car races up walls. (Read the full post about ‘The last coolest gadget of the week and $200 winner is…’…)

Since I installed my IR distribution system a few years ago, things have really progressed! Channel Vision’s All-In-One IR System is not your older brother’s IR distribution system but includes an IR Repeater with a plasma-proof receiver and 2 dual IR emitters as well as multiple mounting possibilities for the IR receiver. Keep your home theater devices behind closed cabinet or closet doors, even when they’re in use. The All-in-One IR System makes sure that all of your A/V components receive the commands sent from your existing IR remote controls, even without line-of-sight access. (Read the full post about ‘Control Home Theater Components Behind Cabinet Doors’…)

This New Year, you may be planning to join a gym, or to quit smoking. Some of you might even want to cure an internet addiction (you fools!). I will be doing something I have wanted to do for some time. I’ll be getting an iPhone. Why now? Because the iPhone Dev Team, those tireless iPhone hackers, have finally released Yellowsn0w, a carrier unlock for the iPhone 3G. As promised, it was released on the first day of the year, and as expected, it works. A simple download of the Yellowsn0w application is all you need, although you’ll have to have a Jailbroken (hacked to run non-App Store applications) iPhone to do it. From there it’s easy — run the application and reboot with the new SIM installed. (Read the full post about ‘iPhone 3G Carrier Unlock Released and Working Fine’…)

There’s one very good reason why the Apple iphone Air won’t make it to this year’s MacWorld - it isn’t an official product, but is a pretty interesting clone. It comes in the form of a clamshell handset, and while it is not as slim as the macbook air, it does feature a glowing Apple logo on the front of its lid. Features include an integrated camera, a built-in FM radio, Bluetooth connectivity, MP3 playback and supports dual SIM cards. Too bad it doesn’t seem to do video, eh? You can pick up the iPhone Air in pink or black colors - who wants one? Chances are it will retail for a slight premium over standard China phone fare. Tags: mobiles, MP3, tech, speaker (Read the full post about ‘Apple iPhone Air Will Not Make It To MacWorld’…)

The Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 and Y450 are smaller siblings of the Lenovo Y650: they are smaller (15.6 and 14″) but share many elements of the same hardware platform. Among the differences: their CPU has less cache memory (that sometimes helps with performance) and it is fair to believe that clock frequencies will be lower too. However, they can as much as one full hour of additional battery life compared to the Y650, from 3.5hrs (discrete graphics) to 4.5hrs (integrated graphics). Overall, they share the same design than the Y650, I have a particular interest in the 14″ version. Starting from $829. (Read the full post about ‘Lenovo IdeaPad Y550, Y450 Laptops’…)